Luke 12:28

12:28 And if ¹  this is how God clothes the wild grass, ²  which is here ³  today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, ⁴  how much more ⁵  will he clothe you, you people of little faith!

Luke 12:30-31

12:30 For all the nations of the world pursue ⁶  these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 12:31 Instead, pursue ⁷  his ⁸  kingdom, ⁹  and these things will be given to you as well.

[12:28]  ¹ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

[12:28]  ² tn Grk “grass in the field.”

[12:28]  ³ tn Grk “which is in the field today.”

[12:28]  ⁴ tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.

[12:28]  ⁵ sn The phrase how much more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.

[12:30]  ⁶ tn Grk “seek.”

[12:31]  ¹¹ tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.

[12:31]  ¹² tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A D¹ Q W Θ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 pc co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. Ì⁷⁵ includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.

[12:31]  ¹³ sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.